The Get Up Kids were viewed throughout their existence as a prototypical emo band, having been major players in the Midwest emo movement of the mid-1990s.[4] However, like many early emo bands, The Get Up Kids sought to dissociate themselves with the term, as it was considered dismissive to be seen as an "emo band."Years later, guitarist Jim Suptic even apologized for having the influence they did on many of the modern third-wave emo bands, commenting that "the punk scene we came out of and the punk scene now are completely different. It’s like glam rock now . . . If this is the world we helped create, then I apologize.”
Influential Kansas City five piece, The Get Up Kids, return in January 2011 with a new studio album,There Are Rules – the band’s fifth full-length collection, and the first on their own Quality Hill Records imprint.
Seven years after what looked to be their final album Guilt Show, with the group disbanding a year later in 2005 after 10 years of constant touring, The Get Up Kids returned to the studio in 2009, sparked by a spur-of-the-moment decision to start writing songs together again, made while they were rehearsing to promote the tenth anniversary edition of their breakout album ‘Something to Write Home About’.
The first fruits of these new recordings was ‘Simple Science’, released in April 2010 - an EP that burst, unannounced, into the Billboard Top 200. But that was just a taste – a precursor to the full-length album, which Alternative Press magazine, upon hearing a whisper of its existence, placed on their “most anticipated…” list.
The band re-convened at their Black Lodge studio in Eudora, KS at various times in 2010 to complete the recordings, and so ‘There Are Rules’ came to be - twelve new songs that will prove to be both surprising, and familiar. The result is a collection of songs that are fresh and inspired, created by a band that has been given new life and isn’t looking back. In some fashion, the new tracks mark a return to the early days of The Get Up Kids, when they formed fifteen years ago above a drum store in downtown Kansas City. The recording involved lots of analog 2” tape – live takes and a feel for the unexpected. Long time producer Ed Rose was once again seated behind the mixing desk, and the band even turned to Chicago luminary Bob Weston, who recorded their debut, Four Minute Mile, to master the album. “This record came together really organically. We'd throw out an idea and if it didn't work after 30 minutes we'd scrap it and move on to another one. We all wrote together really spontaneously and then fleshed it out with Ed in the studio," says Matt Pryor.
At the same time, ‘There Are Rules’ marks a new chapter for The Get Up Kids, as they return to their independent roots, forming their own label – Quality Hill Records – and reigniting the DIY spirit that originally launched the band onto the worldwide stage. Says Pryor, “"We had a really great relationship with Vagrant but we felt that with the proverbial rebirth of the band we wanted to start our own label. Do everything ourselves like we did in the beginning." And as to naming the imprint? "Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City. It's not far from where we first formed the band. It seems like an appropriate name for the label." And of course, echoing their formative years, there is a 7” single involved. That 45 would be ‘Automatic’ – a limited edition release due in January 2011.
And so, after touring across four continents to sold out crowds too many times to count, after becoming a crucial part of what has been called the “second wave of emo” in the 90’s along with bands like Braid and The Promise Ring and influencing a list of bands as long as your arm, after 15 years, 4 acclaimed studio albums, a collection of rarities, a live record, numerous 7"s and EPs the Kansas City five piece – Matthew Pryor on vocals and guitar, Rob Pope on bass, Jim Suptic on guitars and vocals, James Dewees on keyboards and Ryan Pope on drums - are excited to unveil ‘There Are Rules’ in 2011, proving that the final chapter for The Get Up Kids has yet to be written.
Shorty
The Get Up Kids Lyrics
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And though I don't know everything
I wouldn't tell you anything if I did.
The last time I saw you act like this
We were kids.
What am I to do?
My heart goes out to you.
Over reacting, over again
What am I to do?
I won't come between you two.
What was I to do?
I gave it.
What was I to say?
I gave it all I could.
How was I to know?
I bet you'll never find another friend like me.
At first glance, it might seem like the singer in this song is speaking directly to an ex-girlfriend or romantic interest, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the subject of his thoughts is his friend, who is going through a difficult time in her relationship. He acknowledges that he doesn't have all the answers, but he empathizes with her situation and wants to help in any way he can. He's seen her act in this same self-destructive way before, dating back to their childhood, and he's unsure of what he can do to prevent her from making the same mistakes again.
Line by Line Meaning
It's certainly true, there's better things to do
There are certainly more important things to focus on rather than our current situation.
And though I don't know everything
I may not have all the answers or know everything about this situation.
I wouldn't tell you anything if I did.
Even if I did have all the answers, I wouldn't share them because it's not my place to interfere.
The last time I saw you act like this
The last time I saw you act this way was when we were kids.
We were kids.
We were young and naive at the time.
What am I to do?
I'm not sure what my next move should be or how I can help.
My heart goes out to you.
I sympathize with you and feel for the pain you're going through.
Over reacting, over again
You seem to be overreacting to the situation repeatedly.
Just between friends.
This is a matter that should be just between us, as friends.
What am I to do?
I'm still unsure of how to handle this situation.
I won't come between you two.
I won't get in the middle of your relationship.
What was I to do?
I didn't know what the right thing was to do in this situation.
I gave it.
I did what I thought was best.
What was I to say?
I didn't know what to say or how to express myself properly.
I gave it all I could.
I tried my best to help, but it wasn't enough.
How was I to know?
I didn't have all the information or understanding to know how to handle this situation.
I bet you'll never find another friend like me.
I am confident that our relationship is unique and you won't find someone else like me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARVIN HOUGH, MARVIN LEQUIENT HOUGH, DAVID MC RAE, DAVID DEVINE MC RAE, ALVIN WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind